Essay On Police Gratuities

Particularry in the law enforcement division, gratuities has received a vast amount of attention. Whether or not the acceptance of gratuities is considered appropriate has highly been debated and discussed. The general consensus derived from these articles is that the aceeptance of gratuities by law enofrmceent officers is considered to be more unsettling than valued. The article, At What Price a "Freebie"? The Real Cost of Police Gratuities co-written by Jim Ruiz and Christine Bono examines the close ties between the police widespread acceptance of gratuities and the harmful effects that it could have not only on the individual law enforcement personnel but on the policing. Written by Brandon Del Pozo, One Dogma of Police Ethics: Gratuities

Currently, this custom has decreased as more law enforcement offices are adopting strict policies regarding gratuities. Kanie suggests that in The ethical acceptability of gratuities: Still saying “yes” after all these years, that according the “Law Enforcement Code of Ethics” there be an overall ban of the acceptance of gratuities. Argueing that what might start as something small and insignificant can often lead into further, bigger temptation and become the opeing for corruption and unethical behavior (Kania, 2004). Kania stated that police officers are intelligent in nature and can be trusted to make good judgement calls.The author points out that it is offensive to the judgement of the law enforcement official that they are unable to make a simple decisions shuch as whethere or not they should accept a cup of coffee. He proposes that the acceptance of small gratuities should not open the door in order to receive higher valued gifts nor offer special treatment to those that give it. Kania claims that it is not a starting place for corruption to imerge, but that immoral individuals are the cause of corruption. He futher expresses that officers having already obtained being deemed trustworthy shoud accept minor gratuities shuch as free coffe as long as they do not take advantage of the gesture as supervisors

The notion suggests that once an individual (for the purpose of this literature review, we are highlighting the role of a police officer) commits a deed that is deemed unethical, then they are on that downward slope that will in time guide them to execute a more severe act (Kania, 2004). Kania further emphasis that once the gratuity is accepted, it is like a ticking itme bomb before the slope becomes too slippery for the officer to handlge and they are indulging in larger, more severe unethical acts (Kania, 2004). Del Pozo discusses in his article in relation to community policing, there does not need to be gratuity for the police officers. Some theoriest argues that in order for there to be a healty, trustworthy relationship between the citizens and the community that small tokens of appreciation should be given, Del Pozo states that is not necessarily true. Although the batering of goods and services has a long history in the structure of society, it is not essential on either side to uphold public order. Ruiz and Bono shed the light on the central cause of trouble that gratuities creates, entitlement which opens the pathway to analyze an individual’s feelings on accountability(Ruiz, Bono 2004). The authors submits that the cause of corruption can also be attributed to a Similar fact likewise with any other position of authority, the capability to abuse that authority is existent and on must be